The list of Order 66 survivors grew with Ahsoka¡¯s Baylan Skoll, though it¡¯s been unclear how he survived the Jedi¡¯s massacre ¨C until now. The late Ray Stevenson¡¯s captivating performance helped make Baylan a magnetic presence on screen, but there was more to his intriguing nature than that. As an Order 66 survivor ¨C one who knew Ahsoka¡¯s old Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker, no less ¨C Baylan¡¯s use of the dark side and his unique orange lightsaber are incredibly mysterious. His purported desire to break the cyclical conflict between the light side and the dark, the Jedi and the Sith, is equally compelling.

Order 66 was traumatic for all surviving Jedi. Many, like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars Jedi¡¯s Cal Kestis, and Star Wars Rebels¡¯ Kanan Jarrus, cut themselves off from the Force entirely, hiding their truest selves; others, like Obi-Wan Kenobi¡¯s Reva, Darth Vader¡¯s Inquisitors, and Baylan Skoll, turned to the dark side, having lost themselves to grief and a need for revenge, or, in Baylan¡¯s case, the need for a higher purpose. How these Jedi experienced Order 66 changed them fundamentally, so what did Baylan see that made him reject his true nature? It¡¯s hard to say, especially if one particular theory is true.

Baylan Skoll and Original Trilogy Custom Star Wars Image
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Where Was Baylan Skoll During The Original Star Wars Trilogy?

Baylan Skoll is an Order 66 survivor turned mercenary in the New Republic Era, but where was he during the original Star Wars trilogy?

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Shin Hati Is Wearing A Jedi Starfighter Headset

Shin Hati flying a Starfighter in Ahsoka

As observed by X user Star Wars Only, Baylan Skoll¡¯s apprentice Shin Hati wears a Jedi Starfighter headset while engaging in aerial combat in Ahsoka season 1. The sleek metallic headset worn by Shin is an exact match for the ones Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker wore at the beginning of Star Wars: Episode III ¨C Revenge of the Sith near the end of the Clone Wars. Shin is too young to have been around then, but Baylan Skoll was reportedly a Jedi General during the Clone Wars. He would have had access to a Jedi Starfighter at the time.

Was Baylan Flying His Jedi Starfighter When Order 66 Happened?

Since Shin and Baylan still have access to this Clone Wars-era technology, it stands to reason that Baylan was flying his Jedi Starfighter at the exact moment Palpatine enacted Order 66, or at the very least, he was able to access it during or directly after the original wave of violence, using it to escape off-world. Either way, it seems likely that the Starfighter Shin flies in Ahsoka saved Baylan¡¯s life during the Jedi Order¡¯s darkest moment.

Whatever happened, Baylan Skoll seeking refuge in the dark side after witnessing such horrors is understandable, even if some of his fellow Order 66 survivors managed to find their way back to the light.

If he was already flying, there¡¯s a chance he merely heard the commotion over the comm system, giving him enough time to flee before the clone troopers realized where he was. If he was still on the ground when Order 66 was enacted, he may have had to fight off those he considered his friends until he could get to safety. Whatever happened, Ahsoka¡¯s Baylan Skoll seeking refuge in the dark side after witnessing such horrors is understandable, even if some of his fellow Order 66 survivors managed to find their way back to the light.

Source: Star Wars Only